Advertisement

Bears blow second-half lead vs. Vikings in fitting end to Matt Nagy era

alyssa barbieri
·2 min read
6

The Chicago Bears wrapped up what’s been a tumultuous season with a 31-17 loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, in what was a fitting end to the Matt Nagy era in Chicago.

In Nagy’s first game as Bears head coach in 2018, Chicago blew a 20-0 lead to the Packers, where Aaron Rodgers led Green Bay to a 24-23 comeback win.

Four years later, in Nagy’s final game as head coach, the Bears blew a 14-3 lead to the Vikings, who mounted a second-half comeback to win by two scores.

And he did it with the quarterback he wanted to roll with for the entire 2021 season: Andy Dalton, who threw two costly second-half interceptions, including a pick-6, and was sacked seven times.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for this loss, whether it’s blown coverages by Chicago’s secondary or Dalton’s turnovers. But the main reason for the loss is the Bears’ execution on fourth down.

Chicago faced three fourth-and-1’s in the game, and they didn’t hand the ball off to David Montgomery. Not once. And guess how that went. Spoiler alert: Not well.

Montgomery has been the Bears’ most consistent weapon on offense this season. Sure, he got 20 carries for 72 yards. But he was ignored when it mattered most. Ignoring the run game, another fitting end to the Nagy era.

But no one really cared about the game, not really. The most important thing is what happens after the finale.

Not that there’s been any doubt about it, but Nagy will be fired. It’s just a matter of when it happens. After all, you figure ownership will at least let him fly back to Chicago before the news leaks. Then again, they could make us wait until Tuesday, much like last season’s press conference.

The bigger question is what happens with general manager Ryan Pace, whose job was thought to be safe. Many believe Pace will remain with the organization in some capacity, be it GM or potentially head of football operations. But there are others that believe both Nagy and Pace are gone.

Strap in, Bears fans, the fun is just beginning.